SPATIAL FAIRYTALES Entering the World of H.C. Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen 2. April 1805 - 4. August 1875
Studio Student no. Tutor
2A 2013219 Carolina Dayer
Anahita Koosha Aarhus School of Architecture Thesis Fall 2018
CONTENT
01
A BRIEF HISTORY OF FAIRYTALES How history influenced fairytales and H.C. Andersen
02
FROM LITERATURE TO SPACE Translating the literature through different media
03
s. 11
ODENSE CITY The home town of H.C. Andersen and a city in change
04
s. 20
REDEFINING MUSEUM
Defining the space to best possibly emote the universe of H.C. Andersen
05
s. 05
s.25
1 PROGRAM // 3 CONCEPTS // 7 ROOMS Space supporting creativity, imagination and interaction
s. 28
ABSTRACT
In an urban setting, we can all use a venue to take a break from daily routines in favour of a little escape into a magical world. The overstimulating western society has many superficial experiences that have people almost numbed from an immersive connection with one’s environment. Daydreaming and entertainment become an escape away from the hectic and repetitive everyday life. This project wishes to explore aspects of amusement and interaction within the typology of a museum. With the definition of a museum, as a place to honour a muse, which is a personification of inspiration, Hans Christian Andersen becomes the muse. With his fantastical literary universe, the atmospheric worlds have a rich potential to be materialised into an architectural experience. The complex act of reading is translated into an experience of spatial immersion. The architecture like stories invites people into another world where one’s inner child is seduced to explore the museum. It allows visitors to pay attention and experiment freely nurturing their curiosity and desire to explore the exhibitions instead of browsing shallowly through curated content. The architecture makes a strong impression on the user and satisfies the senses through interaction. Thoughtfulness and reflection can uphold the importance of creating emotional narrative art, which architecture does very subtly and influentially. The project attempts to be a venue that boosts peoples routines with joy and wonder.
Drawing playing with explorational space
A BRIEF HISTORY OF
FAIRYTALES
*Collage exploring the use of folklore as communication in the daily life of the Middle Ages
FOLKLORE
The Danish word ‘eventyr’, has its origin from the Latin word ‘adventure’ that means ‘happening’ - something that happens by chance. ‘Eventyr’ translates to the English ‘fairytale’. In daily language, we could say that we set out for an adventure - to go and explore the world just like what fairytales are about. Literally, the adventure belongs to the epic main genre and originates from the oral narrative culture of the Middle Ages, known as folktales and folksongs. It is an expressive body of culture shared by a particular group of people. These include oral traditions such as tales, proverbs and jokes. It was orally told tales that went from generation to generation and therefore the genre changed through time until 1800 in romanticism where the fairytale genre reached a high point. The folktale
Modern issues can then be portrayed in the form of fairytales.
became the fairytale - a formalisation of the folklore. It is no
A good example is H.C. Andersen’s fairytale “The Shadow”,
longer a story told from mouth to mouth, but a known author
which provides a complex representation of romanticism’s
who put a name to the written story.
doppelgänger motif, where the protagonist and the shadow are symbolising the divided individual that seeks its purpose in life
The folklores express a premodern lifeworld, where the written
and the split character go through a self-realising journey.1
fairytales are influenced by romanticism’s philosophy. The author deliberately works with language and development of
It is also in the romanticism where fairytales begin to be
character - the structure, symbolism and psychology in the
aimed at children, whereas in the Middle Ages it was mainly
tales are complex. The author uses the base features from the
for adults as entertainment for life interpretation told on the
folklore, which he may vary for his particular story.
fields, in inns or within the family.
1) Fibiger, Johannes and Lütken, Gerd, ”Litteraturens Veje” (Systime A/S, 2009), p.185 (translations by author)
5
STRUCTURE OF THE FAIRYTALE
There are several sets of rules within the fairytale genre that
The counteracting creatures and tests can often be interpreted
forms the story. The regular pattern such as repetition is a
as reflections of unconscious forces within the hero. What
stylistic feature that builds the magic of the tales - creating the
distinguishes the hero from its competitors is that he usually
expectation of a break. It is also a natural structure for the oral
has different and stronger qualities. This is also where another
narrative and for the listeners.
important rule plays a role - the opposition. The contradiction between the youngest, poorest and stupidest opposite the
When it comes to repetition the number 3 plays a decisive
older, richer and smarter determines the conflicts of the tale
role. For example, the third brother, who on the third test ma-
and their solution. The tale ends in the ‘home’ phase, where the
nages the cut. The number 3 is also important when talking
developing hero finds its identity and place in the world. In
about the classic overall structure of the fairytale ‘home - out -
the case of H.C. Andersen, it doesn’t necessarily always have a
home’. Those are the three phases of the fairytale.
happy ending but sometimes a bittersweet one.
Often the protagonist finds itself in unfit surroundings which
The structure and tales from the folklore combined with the
he or she desires to escape. In the middle phase, ‘out’ the
Romantic Eras worldview have influenced the topics and
contrast between the main character and its surroundings
moods of his stories.3
2
is magnified. The hero meets parallel characters and is sent through a minefield of challenges, which test the hero for the
ASCENDING/ DESENDING
und e
rdo g
Harmony Omen
Out Conflict Tests
PHASE 3
Home
PHASE 2
PHASE 1
purpose of developing his or her character.
Home (or) Loss Harmony (or) Disharmony Solution
Known
Unknown
Known
Natural
Supernatural
(Un)compossed character
Young/Puberty
Promise / Betrothal
Wedding (or) Demise
ODESSEY
*Structure of the fairytales of H.C. Andersen
2) Fibiger, Johannes and Lütken, Gerd, 2009, p. 66 3) Ibid., s. 175-186
6
ROMANTIC ERA
The poetry and philosophy of the 19th-century Romantic
If a prisoner is freed, he will be blinded at first but with
period are idealistic and perceives the world as being of spiri-
courage, he can continue his ascension, he will, through his
tual nature. But the underlying sense of the world is that it is
longing for insight, be able to see the light and seize the deeper
divided. The picture-perfect ideal is not rejected, as the ideal in
meaning of existence - the idea.
romanticism is desired, but it is realised that it is not realistic.
Plato calls this longing for Eros, which manifests itself as love
Central concepts within the Romantic Era such as Neoplato-
and sees fusion as its goal. The Neoplatonists see their contem-
nism and ascension are very relevant to understand what lies
porary world as an expression of an incomplete phenomenon.
behind the fairytales of H.C. Andersen.
It is characterised by division, controversy and pity. They seek universal beauty, but fundamentally humans are split and
Neoplatonism is based on philosopher Plato (428-348 BC)
only death can reconcile the soul and body. Therefore division
and his famous ’Allegory of the Cave’, the theory of Forms.
becomes a popular theme in Neoplatonism.
In this allegory, the world is divided into a material (phenomenon) and non-material (ideas) world and this connection
H.C. Andersen was greatly influenced by this worldview and
between the two worlds are visualised with a group of priso-
with the timeless structure and basic topics of folklore he sets
ners chained in a cave. The prisoners have never experienced
the base for his fairytales. An encouraging story about ascensi-
anything else but the shadows on the cave wall and perceive
on from a dark place. This is the common ground for the two
them as their reality. It’s a metaphor for how Plato understands
types of tale H.C. Andersen writes. They can be subcategorised
knowledge. We are held back by our prejudices and habits and
into ‘Skæmteeventyr’ (tricktale) and ‘trylleeventyr’ (spelltale).4
do not see the deeper things in life. We only see the surface only the phenomenon.
4) Fibiger, Johannes and Lütken, Gerd, 2009, p.138-145
7
*The tricktales as a humorous criticism of hierarchical society
TRICKTALE :[SkĂŚmteeventyr]
The tricktale is most similar to the topics from the Middle
The social lower class hero goes through a number of challen-
Ages. The tale ridicules the authorities of society. The laughter
ges to excel in getting the princess and half the kingdom. The
typically hits the nobility and the clergy, their exaggerated
tales express a dream of social climbing - an ascending, that
living and unreasonableness, and they are defeated by a poor
wasn’t possible in the Middle Ages.
but sly hero from the bottom class of society - the underdog. The tales indicate a social criticism - where laughter functions as a break from social discomfort during oppression.
8
SPELLTALE :[Trylleeventyr]
There are strong thematic and structural similarities between
The transformation from child to adult, from innocence to
the two genres and have the same ground story. The base of
maturation, are frequent topics for spelltales.
the story also takes root in the lower class and moves toward
The ‘home - out - home’ structure sets the protagonist on the
social ascension. Though the story type is set apart from the
same journey of ascension but with a focus on the individual
tricktale by the subject of individualization - a course where
in a community. The character individualizes himself in the
the individual matures and realises itself in the world. Spellta-
community to find his place there.
les are about existential leaps and these tales are very inspired by romantic thinking. The individualization process does not follow a modern psychological developmental but is rather a symbolic interpretation of different life stages.
*The spelltale depicting the individual’s journey to self-realisation
9
“The body knows and remembers. Architectural meaning derives from archaic responses and reactions remembered by the body and the senses.� - Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses
FROM LITERATURE TO S PAC E This project explores the translation of the literary structure of fairytales into spatial configurations and experiences. Without being metaphorical, the project seeks to create parallels between core elements of fairytales that can productively be imagined as qualities of architecture. I have structured these qualities into three main characters that characterised the plot of many fairytales, and that I also considered key components of the architectural imagination: The Stranger - The Altruist - The Trickster These three characters are all qualities embodied by H.C. Andersen himself and every other person - he translated the world he observed to fairytales. Like the tales, the characters are all relatable since they are based on the emotions and experiences people go through in life. By condensing multiple qualities into three characters, I constructed three physical models that could embody their characteristics spatially. The three ’arkitektons’ became drivers in the process of design of this thesis.
LONELINESS LOSS LOSS STAGING FEAR SOUL NATURE AMBITION AMBITION PRIDE LOVE RECOGNITION RECOGNITION LONGING PATIENCE FORTUNE JOY JOY SELFLESSNESS PLAYFUL DISCOVER 11
THE STRANGER Personality
Disuniated, Split
Conflict
Spiritual
Status
Outcast
Tone
Gloomy
Forecast
Loss
PERCEPTION ANONYMOUS HIDDEN POTENTIAL PERFECTIONIST
12
The Stranger represents personal development in the context
The model’s sharp boxy shell is a translation of the words;
of reaching the top of acknowledgement. He is the character
’anonymous’ and ’perfectionist’ - a rigid demeanour where
in H.C. Andersen’s stories that doesn’t fit in but so eagerly ne-
only small hints are given away that something lies within the
eds to be seen and heard and through his journey goes through
box. Peaking through the round opening, it opens up to The
the change of being a nobody to accomplish his goals - but
Stranger’s ’hidden potential’. The inside is lit by the narrow
doesn’t always survive to live the change even when the goal is
cut, where a layer of colours cast their shadows. Depending
reached.
on the ’Perception’ of the model, the story about the split personality of The Stranger is told. The potential lying within the character needs to be let out of the repressed exterior.
13
THE TRICKSTER Humorous, Ordinary
Conflict
Social
Status
Underrated
Tone
Amusing
Forecast
Victorious
FAMILIAR VERSATILE CURIOS
ILLUSION
Personality
14
The playful Trickster is humorous and a social commentary
The model of The Trickster is therefor about ’illusion’. At
on the top of the social latter. He is someone that always looks
first, it seems ’familiar’ with the simple form of a square and
as the dumbest, lowest and just unuseful but despite the re-
openings and steps. But looking into it, it becomes a puzzle. It
putation, he possesses a few tricks up his sleeve. He is the zero
encourages one’s ’curiosity’ to go explore the many possibili-
that goes to hero and wins the half kingdom and the princess.
ties given with a labyrinth. The Trickster portrays ’versatility’
It is the character from the tricktales that challenges the clergy
- whatever situation he finds himself in, he will find a way out
and succeeds with cunningness and gets away with it.
of it.
15
THE ALTRUIST Personality
Devotional, Naive
Conflict
Spiritual
Status
Unfit
Tone
Melancholic
Forecast
Sacrificial
EMBRACIVE LUCID PURE OBSESSED
16
The loving Altruist finds herself in an environment that
The understanding of the model is ’lucid’ like the character.
doesn’t agree with her. She longs for something else than what
The steady and transparent mind of the character is represen-
her world presents to her. Her desires are looked as unfit by
ted with the sturdy and simple form of the solid woodblock.
her surroundings, but that doesn’t hold her back. She seeks out
It is ’pure’ and doesn’t hide anything. The organic carved out
and embarks on her quest for something larger than herself.
space mimics a natural flow like it is to ’embrace’ water, that
On the journey, she is blinded by the desire and tends to
symbolically is the notion of her ’obsession’ nourishing others
forget about herself which often will lead to her demise, but it
before herself which in the end will be her fall.
will be worth it, in the heart of The Altruist.
17
H. C. A N D E R S E N FAIRYTALES
KEYWORDS
CHARACTERS
THE STRANGER
THE ALTRUIST
THE TRICKSTER
*common ground: outsider ascending
MODELS
RELATABLE INSPIRATIONAL IMAGINATIVE
ATMOSPHERIC SPACES
18
Drawing of a model from previous semester creating spaces for solitary and immersiveness
ODENSE
CITY
HOME & LEGACY
Odense is the birth town of H.C. Andersen. With his impactful fairytales that inspired the world, he became a trademark for Denmark - not to mention Odense. Odense pride itself on his name and he is the greatest tourist attraction for the city. A vast amount of events happen throughout the year like a marathon, festival, Christmas market and a city walk through the course of the multiple related and authentic places that were essential for the adventurous life of the author. The route of the city walk is pathed with the print of the footsteps of H.C. Andersen himself and that way people can themselves go on a treasure hunt through the city experiencing his life.
Project Site H.C. Andersen City Walk Light rail Train tracks Kindergarden Primary school High School H.C Andersen Center (part of SDU)
20
The Birth Home*
The Square**
The Poorhouse
The Washing place
* The Statue***
The Prison (Odense Tugthus)
The Childhood Home
Odense Cathedral
**
The Hospital
City Hall
The Castle
The Church
***
21
PREVIOUS SITUATION
PLANNED SITUATION
Birth Home Museum
s an
e
ns
Je
de
træ
S ns
Thomas B. Thriges
r ode
gs B Ban
H
Fyrtøjet (Culture House for Children)
r
ode
sB
g Ban
Apartments
Lotzes Garden Light rail (H.C. Andersen Fairytale House)
FROM STREET TO CITY
SITE
The chosen project site is where the earlier H.C. Andersen museum was located. In 2013 the city proposed a competition for a new museum. The location is right in the city centre between the streets of Bangs Boder and Hans Jensens stræde.
Albani Square Apartments, shops, parkering
Earlier the site held a culture house for children named after one of the fairytales of H.C. Andersen: “Fyrtåjet” [The Tinder Box] - a space available for children to enter a course learning and performing a play based on the fairytales. It is surrounded by the calm Lotzes garden and to the north and east enclosed by old Danish townhouses. In the north corner, the presumably birth home of H.C. Andersen is located. The house is connected with the garden and the culture house as part of the old H.C. Andersen experience the city offered. Today the site is being rebuilt for the new museum. The wish for an in-depth H.C. Andersen Museum is highly demanded due to the international cultural importance he has.5 5) https://www.hcandersen-homepage.dk/?page_id=52892
22
At the moment Odense city is undergoing a huge transforma-
TRANSITION
tion. The closure of the street Thomas B. Thriges previously crossed the city. It is now where they are establishing a light railway that is planned to be finished by 2020. It is also a
Closed
transformation of a street to a large urban square - going from street to city. The new museum is part of the major change and meant to be the green heart of the square. Open
The light rail tracks will run right next to the west of the site making it a car-free zone. The site has great potential due to the outdoor spaces that allow a combination of a garden and a house. The place also offers both seclusion and exposition. That has been the framework for the project to find the right
Diffuse boundary
LAYERS
programming. The important focus was on an in- and outdoor connection since nature was a huge inspiration to H.C. Andersen. He struggled for a long time being recognised for his writing but it all changed when he met the scientist H.C. Ørsted and his work: “Ånden i Naturen” [The Spirit in Nature]. This was his breakthrough. It taught H.C. Andersen that the true fairytales and adventures were found in life itself.6 To pay tribute to that important component and tell that story the project is a combination of a building and a garden that together become one experience that is fitted into its surroun-
Hard edge Fade into the city
dings and flows into the planned urban space. Secluded
MOVEMENT
Semi Open 6) Andersen, Hans Christian and Møllehave, Johannes, ”Eventyr” (Sesam, 2004), p.28
23
”At rejse er at leve” [”To travel is to live”] - H. C. Andersen
REDEFINING MUSEUM Movies Creating worlds, narratives, places
Comic books
Imagination
Books
Senses
Story telling
Emotions
Graphic design
Curiosity
Scenography
Dreaming
Music
Creativity
Physical experiences in atmospheric interactive spaces
Art
Hans Christian Andersen
THE POTENTIAL OF STORYTELLING
In today’s urban setting everything goes incredibly fast and
“Art form” by definition is a creative medium of self-expression
there is a vast amount of information and options available.
that happens on an imaginative plan that deals with reality on
Cities tend to isolate people and individuality reigns for
many levels. Architecture like any other kind of art form has
the sake of one’s own comfort. There can be drawn parallels
the ability to tell a story. It creates a narrative that takes one
between the tendencies of the Romantic Era and present time.
into another world. These worlds can be materialised.
The search and need for devotion and compassion increasingly surfaced as a response to division and individualisation. That
“Stories are one of the earliest, longest-lived, and most
thinking can be reintroduced to today.
successful human adaptions”7
In the urban every day, there is a need for a break from the
Storytelling is a human form of communication. From cave
daily routines. Daydreaming and wandering off is a way for
paintings to blockbuster movies an imaginary world is created
the mind to take a break from a reality into another reality.
to express thoughts, emotions and issues to share them with
We do it through entertainment whether we go to the movies,
each other. As social beings, it is a human way of communi-
a concert or read a book. We leave our daily world to another
cating.
entertaining one where we are filled with joy. These ‘safe havens’ are great stress relievers in the urban busy life and have
To have a space that communicates and influences people to
existed for a long time as places for exceptions.
imagine, explore and be inspired and dream, H.C. Andersen’s fantastical literary universe has a rich potential to be materiali-
H.C. Andersen created atmospheric and dreamy worlds with
sed into an architectural experience. His stories have the power
his words. He inspired ballets, plays, movies and all kind of art
to move people and that should be the goal of the museum as
forms.
well - a place for immersion, curiosity, reflection and play.
7) Emmons, Paul, Feuerstein, Marcia and Dayer, Carolina, ”Confabulations - storytelling in architecture” (New York: Ashgate, 2017), p.4
25
SEAT OF WONDER
The realm of H.C. Andersen is impactful and to bring the imaginative world to life a redefinition intents to make a clearer framework for the base program of the museum. The museum is a literal translation of the word ‘mouseion’ - a place dedicated to a muse. In this case, H.C. Andersen becomes the muse and the building becomes a place to explore through the senses experiencing the atmosphere created within the tales. It is not a museum in the traditional sense. This museum uses his influence and inspirational work to engage people to discover his art and investigate what is presented in the tales. The project consist in designing places that will act in opposition to the many superficial experiences we have during the day. When reading a book or watching a movie engaging with the matter of the plot is necessary for it not to become just another insignificant experience passing through life. Like the narratives build on expectation, the architecture plays with people’s expectations and challenges them to look after more than what meets the eye - it demands focus and interest. The museum becomes an ‘escape’ from the everyday life where one can relate and identify with the emotions communicated in the spaces.
26
“When experiencing a work of art, a curious exchange takes place; the work projects its aura, and we project our own emotions and precepts on the work. The melancholy in Michelangelo's architecture is fundamentally the viewer's sense of his/her own melancholy enticed by the authority of the work. Enigmatically, we encounter ourselves in the work.” -Juhani Pallasmaa
ORIGIN AND ETYMOLOGY OF MUSEUM
GREEK MOUSA
MOUSEION Seat of the Muse
MUSEUM Early 17th century ”Building to display objects”
A place or temple dedicated to the muses
Redefined
Muse
LATIN
A building for inspiration, imagination, exploration and study An experience
27
1PROGRAM 3CONCEPTS 7ROOMS BASE PROGRAM
There are many layers to the program. The overall struc-
The key is to encourage play, immersion and imagination. For
ture of the museum is defined by the fairytale structure
the place to become immersive, the visitors are able to interact
‘home-out-home’, where it requires the reader to build bridges
and sense the museum. The experience is individual to whoe-
between the known and unknown.
ver examines himself in the surroundings which are part of the narrative and journey. It becomes a play for the visitor to inve-
Mixing elements from the fairytales, so one room doesn’t
stigate the unknown and based on different backgrounds, start
represent a particular fairytale, but the moods and atmosphere
imagine himself in those spaces and link different memories,
constructed in the narratives. The elements get visitors to refle-
meaning and emotions to what they experience.
ct on the connection between the experience and the universe of the fairytales - between fantasy and reality.
”Livet er den eneste rigtige læremester eller skole” [”Life is the only real teacher or school”] - H. C. Andersen
H.C. Andersens fairytales
Muesum structure
Outsider
Journey
Reflected
Home
Out
Home
Unknown
Explore
Richer experience
28
Concept collage of architectural experience in the museum
CONCEPTS
The early concepts generated the base for how the architecture formed. The concepts are adapted from the characters. The building is mostly underground, where only some parts of the building are visible above ground in the garden. The ‘iceberg concept’ is very similar to the model of The Stranger and like the character, the building holds much more underneath, that waits to be explored. The shapes above ground help to define the layout of the park that fades into the open square and suggests play and to find comfort in.
The exploration begins as one enters the building above ground and a dark stair path leads one down to the museum underground and opens up to the first room. From here it is up to the user to choose how to move around and inhabit the museum. The free circulation, level changes and more or less detectable nooks make a playful treasure hunt from room to room. Like the model from The Trickster, the whole museum is a maze of curiosity.
As there are larger encounters of feeling intimidation in high ceiling rooms and in unknown and dark spaces there is also the opportunity for more intimate experiences. Visitors are in touch with themselves and the space they are in. They perceive with their memories, senses and emotions making their investigations immersive.
30
Iceberg
Labyrinth
Nooks
31
*Imaginative space
THE ROOMS
The way one experiences each room is where the absorbing power of The Altruist comes to play. Time and focus should be spent to fully experience the impact of the spaces. Each room serves its own function and shares certain types of experiences. It balances being grounded and dreaming as the visitor is being pulled into the atmosphere of the space. It is only the imagination of the user that sets the limits of the sensorial experience.
33
RITE OF PASSAGE :[The dive into the world]
Coming from a slightly lit stair path, one enters a tall and bright room. From here it is up to the visitor to begin the adventure of exploring the different rooms.
34
READING :[absorbing]
Like a blanket fort where one can cosy in - the smaller reading room invites to reading aloud in groups or just kick back on bean bag chairs and relax with a story.
35
LIBRARY :[educational]
If someone is studying literature or just interested in educating themselves on the work of H.C. Andersen the library works as a study for a more quiet reading, where all the fairytales in all the translated languages and different editions are available.
36
PERFORMANCE :[play]
H.C. Andersen wanted to be an actor early on. When he didn’t succeed with that, he turned to writing and still found his way into the universe of storytelling. The stories are a great fit for plays and especially work for children’s play as it substitutes the old culture house for children - ’Fyrtøjet’.
37
ARCHIVE :[educational]
The original handwritten scripts by H.C. Andersen is historic relics that will be exhibited in a more formal space than the other rooms. The monumental architecture intimidates with its lavishness of a narrow, tall and dark path, where at the end concentrated light enters through a light channel. The exhibited scripts need to be in mild light as the inc on the scripts otherwise will fade.
38
GARDEN :[absorbing]
The garden room is observational. While sitting, in the room looking out on the sunken garden path, that is open for anyone outside the museum, one can listen to audiobooks of the fairytales. The connection with nature is a crucial setting to many of the fairytales.
39
DISCOVERY :[play]
Reading is mostly a solitary experience. The museum also offers the possibility of reading on your own in intimate spaces - the reading nooks, where the hunt for exploring these ’hideouts’ is part of the experience.
40
REFLECTION
My interest in the subject of narrative in architecture arises from my passion for art’s, in all its forms, I am fascinated by the ability that stories have to take one on an imaginary journey. In the urban society more and more deals with anxiety and stress caused by the speed and overwhelming amount of information received during the day. It can become very superficial and tedious because of the lack of focus. Therefore I wished to work with a project communicating how to counteract the sometimes trivial existence that I believe has affected the way we live and create. “Today much architecture is carried out in absence of a storytelling”8 I stand on the belief that it is important to nurture architecture’s capacity to make and create atmospheres. Much architecture today is missing that power. My intention with an interactive museum, based on the imaginary world of an artist, is for people to have the possibility to engage immersively with their surroundings and experience how one’s own mood can be affected by space, light and materials. Awareness and thoughtfulness contribute to a more relaxed and balanced mind as art can function as a meditative tool. Choosing H.C. Andersen as the influencer was with the purpose of the fairytales representing a time that draws many parallels to today’s society and the relatable content of the stories. Like his quote ”To travel is to live” the imaginary journey of entertainment and art offers a powerful tool to experience and feel something else than the daunting routines of life.
8) Emmons, Paul, Feuerstein, Marcia and Dayer, Carolina, 2017, p.4
41